I too was afraid for years of dentist because of bad experiences in the past. People do not go to the dentist #1 because of fear,#2 because of cost. When you consider you only have one set of teeth and they have to last you a lifetime, fear and $ should not be a factor. With todays new technology going to the dentist is a breeze. The secret is finding a good dentist that you can relate to. Explain to him/her upfront you are afraid and do not deal with pain! Also, the shape our teeth/ gums/ total mouth is in effects the rest of our health well-being. I have gone through an extensive restoration process (gum surgery) in order to keep my teeth becasue of years of not going to the dentist. In the long run it has cost me twice as much! Please...Take care of your teeth! I didn't want my child or future grandchild to say... Hey, my granny can take her teeth out!!!!!!!Good luck to you!

i too was afraid for years of dentist because of bad experiences in the past. People do not go to the dentist #1 because of fear,#2 because of cost. When you consider you only have one set of teeth and they have to last you a lifetime, fear and $ should not be a factor. With todays new technology going to the dentist is a breeze. The secret is finding a good dentist that you can relate to. Explain to him/her upfront you are afraid and do not deal with pain! Also, the shape our teeth/ gums/ total mouth is in effects the rest of our health well-being. I have gone through an extensive restoration process (gum surgery) in order to keep my teeth becasue of years of not going to the dentist. In the long run it has cost me twice as much! Please...Take care of your teeth! I didn't want my child or future grandchild to say... Hey, my granny can take her teeth out!!!!!!!Good luck to you!

look for a female dentist. In my experience they are more gentile and understanding. They are also more thourough.

I have a cavity and I am too very scared to go! I haven't been in like 6 years or more! I am in desperate need of a dentist check, but I am frightened! I have panic attacks and I hate any kind of numbing meds because I am always afraid they will affect my throat and I won't be able to feel my self breathe! I am also scared that side effects might make me go into a panic attack?! I know how you feel!

I am terrified, and I am 54 years old and I need extensive dental and gum surgery I am still not there yet. New years I had the worst infection in my face then I ever had, my husband was afriad I would get blood poisoning and die I refused to go to the hospital I could tell you to many horror storys about both the dentist and the Dr. Its too bad that the medical field doesnt treat dental health the way it does other parts of your body!! Dental insurance is a joke. And the cost is only getting higher with all these new techniques, it doesnt transferre into cheapre proceadures, no if you want the latest you pay!! And not all dentist have the newest stuff> if you go to a hospital they may give you a pian med of one sort or the other .. In my case they may have tried to open the abcess and drain it it would depend on the hospital polisy toward dental problems. There is no mercy for poor people with bad teeth. Sure , if you have the money honey , you can get the best, go to sleep and wake up with new what ever! Now that is the truth...........Mean while I will go to a dentist grit my teeth pray a mighty prayer and get most of my teeth pulled get som kind of replace ments and be that grandma whos teeth can sit in a jar across the room!! Lily

I am 19 years old and I have had almost 20 cavities filled. I am not kidding. I beat my dentist up when I was 7 because he wanted to take an x-ray, I wasn't having it! So I think i've come a long way since then, I still get nervous when I go, but I get over it once I get in the hot seat. I have very sensitive teeth and I hate just having my teeth cleaned, because my teeth are so sensitive. My advice is to find a dentist that you feel comfortable with, that you know other people have gone to, and had good experiences with. Tell them up front that you are very uncomfortable, and if it's because you are afraid of pain, ask them to give you novacaine. I am going to do that from now on when I have my teeth cleaned. And ask them to explain what they are doing. I have to have my wisdom teeth extracted next month and I am very nervous, but I know that it has to be done. I found a good oral surgeon that people I know have gone to, and had good experiences with. Good luck and don't be afraid, there are ways to work around things!!!!

I too kow what it is like. My mom never took me a child, even when I had pain, she was terrified. She now has false teeth at 42. I didn't get to go to the dentist until I was 21. I went for my exam and found out I need alot done. I found out I was pregnant and so I couldn't get the work I needed done. So after my son I decided I was tired of all the pain and I needed to do something no matter how terrified I am. So I went and I ended up neding 8 teeth pulled in the back. So after that I was told to go get the fillings done and I didn't go back until after my second son. Now I am still in treatment, probably 15 more visits to go at least. I have been getting fillings and they arent that bad, the worse thing is iget bored. They give you something like orajel, only stronger. Then they give you the shot. I have 2 more extractions next week, a couple of root canals and then they want to get me a partial. And at 24 not having all my teeth has bothered me. I beg you all to go if you need to and not to go through what I am going through.

Im afarid of em too.. The smell of the place makes me sleepy n the thought of puttin those instruments in my mouth scares me even more.. What I do is ask the dentist to make my gums go num.. If im removin a tooth or gettin a fillin n stuff n I close my eyes n listen to music so I cant hear the drilling n stuff

You are not alone!!Many people are afraid to go to the dentist.Talk to your friends and co-workers,maybe one of them has a compassionate dentist.Yes, I agree that women dentists are usually more gentle and understanding than males(not always,but often).When you find one,make sure you tell everyone in the office(receptionist,assistant and hygienist)before the doctor sees you, that you are afraid!!Do not be embarassed,fear is very common in the dentist's chair and many docs can prescribe anti-anxiety meds to help you through your treatment.Hope you find a dentist soon-try your local dental society!Patty

I am sooo afraid of the dentist! I have a tooth that fell apart and the root is exposed. I want so badly to go because the pain is so bad, but I'm Extremely Phobic of needles, Especially in my mouth. I have been having panic attacks before I have to go. I really wish I could just find peace with it. Then it wouldn't be so bad.

There is no need to be afraid. Modern clinics use sedation, as mine ( dentalpoland) and I got rid of the fear so I started to pay more attention to my teeth as the terrible feeling before entering surgery is gone. Well, you have to try it then you will know that the pain does not exist anymore. Good Luck
ClinicGirl

Hey. I understand being nervous when going to the dentist. Personally I am not AFRAID of going to the dentist but I still get nervous even if its just going to be a cleaning - the last time I got a cleaning I felt really dumb because when the dental assistant was using all the electric tools on my teeth my eyes kept on watering like major and he was kinda freaking out because he thought he was hurting me - at least he cared enough to ask. But, anyways, I still get nervous but what I tend to do is hold onto somthing wether it be a book or my cel phone whatever... It makes me feel a little better having somthing to do with my hands so Im not just sitting there not knowing where to put them. So yea, I usually always keep somthing in my hand. Also, the night before I am supposed to go I go to bed like 30 min earlier and just go over in my mind what will happen... if you have no idea google it and find out, and I just keep going over the situation over and over and over... some people might find that it makes them MORE nervous but it kinda helps me... Also, I remind myself that no matter what position I am in and no matter that there is a dentist working on my mouth I am the one that is in control (I only get novicane shots so its true) and I just tell myself that I am the one who is control because I just have to a)let the dentist know that he/she needs to stop b) put my hands up and physically remove the dentists hands from my mouth c) push them away from you and get up and leave - I know all of these sound weird but its true if somthing happened that you couldnt deal with even if its just that the dentist isnt listening to you and its making you feel uncomfortable you just have to get up and leave

Going to the dentist for some patients can be a dreaded experience. Their fear may start at an early age of childhood or during one of their visits as an adult. Other patient may feel this fear as how other described their dentists, or how dental equipment is depicted in movies or on TV. With these influences and circumstances happening, others may still end up fearing the one person that could give them comfort when it comes to their dental problems.

I don't have a fear of the dentist or needles because I've experienced them early and often enough to be used to them (several root canals, giving blood, and allergy shots). But like a previous poster, I recommend sedation dentistry. They can use gas or a shot to make you unconscious or insensible and you won't feel a thing. I am the kind of person that makes myself confront and get over a fear but I know not everyone can do that so sedation is the next best thing.

I Understand. I'm scared of the dentist too. I wasn't scared till after having two front teeth removed when I bashed them up. That was my first major tooth treatment and they used freezing. I get panic attacks whenever I have to go and I end up canceling my appointment cause of it. I haven't been to a dentist in 2 years. But for encouragement I recommend trying to relax before visits and tell the dentist that your afraid and hope for the best. Good Luck...

P.S. I can not for the life of me think of anyone that is not afraid of the dentist.